The position of Ellul it is not protestant but it is an idea of freedom.
It seems to me that the God spoken of Ellul in Anarchy and Christianity may be somehow similar to the God of Jesus at least the God who, according to the texts, and perhaps now, after a thousand years of history, it is clear from those interpretations. I can think of acts of Josephus Flavio - Jewish historian - and those of Pliny the Younger, who was sent by the emperor Trajan to investigate the Christians guilty of not respecting the authority of the empire but rather to follow the teachings of a rabbi, that Christ condemned to death by Pontius Pilate. Pliny wrote to the emperor [cf. The letters, letters 96 and 97] that this group, this sect, the Christians, were following a single precept: "We must love one another. "
To get to this day, the contemporary of that message of freedom, now the only way to talk about God is to deal with a multiplicity of expressions of faith. The terms "Protestant, " "agnostic, " "Catholic" or even "anarchist" does not count anymore. Years ago, Fabrizio De André told me that he thought Mother Nature had simply has "a quotient of intelligence, creativity and a quotient of a quotient of spirituality. " This seems to me that some anthropologists now call it even "point of God. " However, religions are always wanting to monopolize and manipulate spirituality.
Against authority
In the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus told his disciples to not bring no money or clothes, but to "go and preach" to the world. That's what did the first Christians. They agreed to sell all their belongings and put the proceeds into a common fund, which was then distributed to those in need, according to their needs. But it was not a naive position. When Jesus says, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God, " means that you give to each his own, so if Caesar is an oppressor, then for them to him from thrashing, because that's what he deserve it!
Jesus did not found a religion nor a culture. It is after that the man has transformed the thinking of Jesus in an institution. What is the meaning of church organization as such? It is something that has to do with Jesus? We are sure that you it was created for Christians? Looking at the organization of the Church today than we might call it, say, the Congregation of the sky ... because it has everything, but not sure what the "Christian" value meant that Jesus shed its property and preach the good! I wonder more and more often: what is this pyramid [the 'hierarchy' ed]? Why the Church is conveyed the concept of subordination of women? Yet Ecclesia means "assembly. " And the point is there, then. That there should be a leader or a group which commands to another: What happens in fact in a meeting when you start to put people above and below all other what assembly is that...?
The first Christian communities decided, self-organized, chose their own representatives in a collegial manner: in the fourth century, the great Ambrose of Milan, the governor of northern Italy for the emperor, was chosen by Christians, after having watched the work declared him their episcopus. Or we think of Augustine, a contemporary of Ambrose, a professor at Tagaste [Algerian town, the ancient Hippo ed] that after a life as a citizen, a lawyer and, perhaps, even hedonistic, discovering Jesus and became "bishop " of Christians ... At some point, however, form prevailed over substance. And what happened? That there was a change, indeed a worsening of the situation, and the power began to dominate. The change was not caused, as some might think, by Constantine, but when Theodosius declared Christianity the "official religion of the empire. " That was the real end, the disaster that we carry with us even today: there is that come the theologians of the court and apprentices of Power. While so far the message of Jesus was a message of non-violence, and especially of liberation, not enslavement.
Ellul: technique and technology,
ie the risk
of enslaving the human to the machine.
The issue of man-machine interface, which we keep hearing about, far more than anything else to the relationship and contradictions of the third millennium. Meanwhile, an obvious condition of the planet at risk ecological disaster, caused by lack of agreement among the powerful of the earth! Last but not least the failure of the agreements on climate change in Copenhagen. But even the devastating neglect of man to his land, yet another revival of homo homini lupus, man is wolf to man: and then, instead of thinking of pluralism, the encounter between different cultures, around us and in Italy it seems clear the realization of a “fortress-west” rejecting the migrants, but that does not take away. This depletes the dialogue between men. The last of the absurdity, then, is the folly of infinite and permanent war, changing only the scenarios, but once again all over the world. In this historical phase, in addition, if the enemy does not exist we must invent it. So the god par excellence becomes the war, which is "holy" or "humanitarian" war does not matter. I have to laugh: it is feared the holy war by Muslims, and we are in permanent war! As regards the man-machine combination, you must rethink what we mean by the term in full and with a market size of the technology for just that market. In this sense, if the market means an appendix to the consumer, even in arms, should be turned so loud, anarchic, conscious, this perfect god "one and triune, " but idolatrous.
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Andrea Gallo |
Catholicism: church of the people (basic)
vs church hierarchies (institutional).
In 1998, during the twentieth year of the pontificate of Wojtyla [Pope John Paul II ed], the RAI called me from Saxa Rubra. It was David Sassoli, now parliamentary told me they would do a direct service for the occasion. I arrived in the studio, started the connection, and there were all: Pope boys, Czestochowa, Solidarnosc ... Then, finally, Sassoli gave me the word: "Don Gallo, did you see how much enthusiasm for the pope?". "Sure," I replied, "is the legitimate bishop of Rome, elected by the Conclave, the heir of Peter, so I'm happy to have all these parties ... However, since there is not much time, I would get him a prayer, maybe at this time is watching TV, or refer it to him. "
Then they pointed at me the camera. So I began: "Holy Father, I am glad you are going around the world, to see all those people ... but I must ask you something, as a pilgrim, how come you, Holy Father, you killed ...” and the corner of my eye intercepted Sassoli with hands in his hair, "my teachers of theology of liberation?", and cited Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and then Giulio Girardi (my friend). I remember when the transmission ended Sassoli, pale, said, "I will say that we were live .... " And I said: "You'll see that nothing happens, I am no one, not a theorist, I do not have a chair, not even the parish priest, they will not punish me. " Sassoli said: "You're an optimist. " And I answered: "No, because I know them well in their righteousness, in their logic of power and defense, if they punish Don Gallo with the means that we are now, people will begin to say, to think ... they fear that people begin to ask what the Theology of Liberation. "And nothing happened to me. I have been called for the condoms thirty times, for this speech at the RAI in direct, no! And I imagine those zealous zealots Catholics have been pushing to their bishops, their acquaintances, I imagine the accusations: "What? You let Don Gallo tell these things? ". I remember another detail of that day through the windows I saw that outside, in a small room, there was Alberto Sordi. When I came out in the hallway, we passed each other. Then he looked at me and made me his action [as if to say "you possino ammazzatte 'ed.] Pretty excited, I said, 'Finally I meet you, I've only seen the movies. "He gave me a pat. He understood!
The Theology of Liberation "made in" Latin America has taken a major step in the understanding of spirituality. Moreover, the Pan-American Episcopal Conference, the true and profound interpretation of the Council, held in Medellín in 1968 by bringing together everyone from Tierra del Fuego to the Caribbean, showed that it was possible the search for truth even from different locations, but with a single Central point get the same table, with Christ in front, to try to resolve the causes of injustice in the world, together. With the freedom of conscience ...
Christian Anarchist
I can not prove God's existence, like an atheist can not prove to me the non-existence of God This is not the point here, the only way that we can walk together, through pluralism and understanding. Thinking of having "the" reason on your side, close in your beliefs, it makes no sense. Instead, the power turns all to his self-justification. And religion today is homologous to the addictive effects of the therapeutic power to create self-justification.
I speak with knowledge, as they it’s in the forty years that I'm around! What do you say, winking, the healing power? Reassure you by saying: "I'll tell you how to take care of yourself. " Similarly, the religion says, "I'll tell you how to worship God, " and this is called theocratic power. There is then need a total reset! The hierarchies do not belong to the vision of Jesus, it is useless that we continue to say that Christ founded a religion. Again I quote the Acts of the Apostles: "Do not take anything, " says Jesus, "Put everything in common. " Get rid of the clothes, go and proclaim the good news as that's all. I know it sounds crazy. Yet I am reminded of St. Francis, with its message of Jesus against the Church hierarchy, which at one point was even received by Pope Innocent III, whose power at that time was even more than the emperor, but, if anything, had the idea of receiving these four Franciscans emaciated ... Francis, also tried to "buy" to their cause, they tried to make him a priest. they wanted him to join the cast, but he stayed in orders. He remained a deacon, because that word means "serve." Never agreed to join the cast. I'm talking about caste because is someone who commands someone top to bottom: the pyramid again. Something has changed just in words, to become a priest before you spoke of "episcopal consecration ", not anymore! Now we hear of "ordination. " The same thing happened to the term "His Holiness", which took off from the official documents even now, when we turn to the pope says simply, "Holy Father" ...
Partisans of God
Christianity that I have in mind is that Bonhoeffer, a Christian Lutheran, even he participated in the attack to Hitler! He died shortly before the end of the war, in a small concentration camp near Berlin [Flossenbürg ed.] While the Red Army advanced, in fact, a Nazi general found him and hanged him. The motto of Bonhoeffer is also my “Coverage (to power) or resistance.” It is a summary of the most beautiful you can imagine: do what is right for man. Or are you among those who surrender, or you are among those who struggle. And now I have chosen which side to stay: During World War II, my brother came unexpectedly, after July 25 there were again the fascists, the leaders of the Republic of Salò, the Germans ... Many were arrested and taken to camps concentration. In a book of Natta (who was interned) speaks of three hundred prisoners. The age of the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo.
When my mother asked my brother who was a legend for me (I was 16 years old): "What would you like?", he replied: "I've already decided, I joined the Resistance. " Since then I started to draw on the values of the Resistance. But my brother also believed in God, and he was very strong presence of the Gospel ... He became brigade commander, had a courage to the limits of unconsciousness. And I followed him around. And yet we survived. It was not the case for many of us. Here in Genoa, there was the massacre and the massacre of the Benedicta Turchino ... but if you go to see the full names of the fallen from 8 September 1943 (armistice with the allied forces ed.) to April 25, 1945 (Italy’s liberation day ed.) there are thousands of dead, young people who said no As well as an impressive number of disabled or missing. My brother died last year at eighty-eight years. One of the last memories I have of him dates back a few years ago. I walked into a bar and saw him sitting at a table: he was crying, many years later, thinking of all those kids died for freedom.
And finally, to close on anarchy and Christianity: I am an anarchist in my life because I learned the consistency by anarchists. Christianity, however, I remember a few years ago Paolo Rossi gave me a shirt that says "God is there. " Then below, the second line, the phrase went, "It's not you. " At the third "So?". At the fourth "Relax. " Signed "A bag of chamomile”.
anno
41 n. 359
don Andrea Gallo